Read all about it - You can't afford to be without this twice-weekly newsletter - sign up today to get your breaking streaming and digital media news!

Occasional announcements sent by Streaming Media, or on behalf of our advertising partners, on what we feel are important offers, developments, publications, and events in the streaming/online video industry.

Ustream Pro Broadcasting Brings Live Video Streaming Mainstream

Enhanced, live video streaming solution makes it easier than ever before to broadcast and engage in real-time; Ustream to introduce new Pro Broadcasting products at NAB Show

San Francisco, CA(4/8/2013) -

Ustream, the leader in live social video streaming, is releasing the latest edition of their popular Pro Broadcasting service, designed to provide broadcasters of all sizes with turnkey solutions to easily expand and engage their audiences. Broadcasters across industries can now take advantage of new Pro Broadcaster features built on the Ustream Cloud Platform, including Live Playlists, an HD-enabled Web broadcasting console, video on demand upload, new player technology, and live closed captions. Ustream will introduce these new features, interview several customers, and host a media-moderated panel at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas during the “Re-inventing 24/7 Broadcast Media with Live Video Streaming Solutions” Info Session on Tuesday, April 9th.

Ustream’s Pro Broadcasting service is the most popular live video streaming service, with over 5000 global customers. Pro Broadcasting now includes linear programming capabilities, which allows broadcasters to easily assemble linear sequences of recorded videos and schedule them to loop 24/7 or broadcast “as live” at specified times on the Ustream channel of their choice. Viewers experience these scheduled Live Playlists as shared, live video programs in the same way traditional scheduled linear broadcasts on television are transmitted simultaneously to all viewers. The level of engagement can immediately be amplified utilizing Ustream’s integrated Social Stream; viewers can chat and ask questions in real-time using Twitter and Facebook, while broadcasters can host and moderate live chats.

Discovery Communications has partnered with Ustream for its newest multi-platform video destination, Animal Planet L!VE, and is one of the first users of the company’s newly introduced Live Playlists. “Our mission is to create deeply engaging experiences for our audiences, and Ustream’s live video streaming solution has allowed us to do so through our latest digital initiative, Animal Planet L!VE," said Micah Gelman, Director of Digital Video Operations and Strategy, Discovery Communications. “With the addition of the linear feed, we can program and engage our viewers more efficiently, leveraging the power of 24/7 live experiences, while also garnering valuable insights to continue to evolve and enhance our offerings."

St. Monica Catholic Church, established in 1886 in Santa Monica, Calif., has taken an innovative approach to spreading the gospel, incorporating Ustream’s platform to reach beyond church walls. “We wanted to grow our technology and dream bigger; Ustream has allowed us to get the message out to young adults and the homebound in ways we never imagined in years past,” said Daniel Houze, St. Monica’s Media Ministry coordinator. “The biggest advantage to using Ustream is that it feels like a partnership; Ustream is like an additional member of our team.”

In addition, Pro Broadcasting now supports live HD-broadcasting from within a simple web browser on any Mac or Windows computer; Ustream’s offering provides a seamless solution without requiring client apps or additional downloads. Ustream continues grow the benefits for users who want to make more use of previously produced videos on their platform with the addition of an easy drag-and-drop multiple file upload tool. Broadcasters can further extend their reach with Ustream's new player technology, which extends exposure beyond simply controlling embedding in affiliated websites. The enhanced player can ensure prominent visibility of the stream on a wide variety of global web sites with shared-interest visitors, thus enabling broadcasters to reach new, large audiences.

"Live broadcasting is no longer a concept restricted to traditional media; Ustream’s robust capabilities allow for anyone -- from individuals to entertainers, non-profits to large corporations -- to easily become their own 24/7 media maven,” remarked Brad Hunstable, CEO of Ustream. “Our unique Ustream Cloud Platform delivers global audiences to anyone, anytime, while scaling to reach millions of users concurrently."

Ustream Live at the NAB Show

Ustream CEO, Brad Hunstable, will be hosting an NAB Show Info Session, “Re-inventing 24/7 Broadcast Media with Live Video Streaming Solutions,” at South Hall, Room S224 on Tuesday, April 9 at 3:30pm. Attendees can expect a mixed format:

A short presentation from Brad Hunstable about Ustream’s new Pro Broadcasting features and the Ustream Cloud Platform

San Francisco media personality and former KNTV-TV (NBC 3) anchor, Lisa Kim, will be reporting live from the NAB Show via Ustream throughout the day on Tuesday, April 9. She will also be moderating the customer panel during the “Re-inventing 24/7 Broadcast Media with Live Video Streaming Solutions,” Info Session.

To watch Ustream Live at the NAB Show: http://www.ustream.tv/nab

The core of the Ustream Cloud Platform centers around the company's proprietary Ustream Content Delivery Network (UCDN), Ustream Media Server (UMS) and Ustream TCP Congestion Control Algorithm (UTCP). Together, this advanced technology stack provides users with unmatched redundancy, resiliency, and reliability to broadcast quality live video streams. Ustream’s application programming interfaces (APIs) are built on this powerful technology platform and allow for advancements in live video streaming innovation across all industries. For more information: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130404005283/en/Ustream-Cloud-Platform-Delivers-Global-Audiences-Broadcaster

About Ustream

Ustream is the leader in live social video streaming technology, powered by the company’s proprietary Ustream Cloud Platform. Ustream’s Pro Broadcasting and Premium services enable broadcasters of any size -- from entertainers to consumers, to companies to non-profit organizations -- to easily connect, broadcast, and engage in real-time. Founded in 2007, Ustream is a San Francisco-based company that has grown to more than 180 employees within their San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest offices. Company partners include Panasonic, Samsung, Logitech, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, and Viacom.